Praise the Lord for His goodness! Last night (about 12 hours ago) we arrived safely in Seattle after 30 hours of travel. In the hours leading up to the flight my leg was quite painful although my back wasn't too bad. Our biggest concern was whether or not I would be able to sit at all without excruciating pain. When I wrote our last post I had given it over completely to God, knowing that if I was in pain or not was a small matter compared with His larger plan. As I was recently reminded, suffering and struggle come for one reason only - to drive us into the waiting arms of our Savior.
From the moment we left our house in Kenya to the moment we arrived in Seattle I was virtually pain-free! I took some Tylenol as a precautionary measure before our first flight but nothing beyond that. I was completely comfortable sitting in my seat and helping occasionally with the kids. I was a little less comfortable during our long 9-hour layover but there was a wonderful kids area in the Heathrow airport that had a padded floor so I was able to rest and do some stretches. I applied a heat pad during our layover and also got a relaxing massage before boarding our second flight.
It's likely that I've regressed a little in my recovery. Today my leg is much more painful again but I have the freedom to lay down at will and do my stretches and I have a physiotherapy appointment here in the Seattle area later this afternoon. God always answers prayers and this time we're particularly grateful that His answer was to provide me comfort without incapacitating painkillers.
My dear, dear friends, family, prayer warriors and partners, thank you. Thank you for your prayers, your encouragement, and your support. Thank you for walking with us. We look forward to seeing you in the months ahead!
Last night we were up until about 1am trying to check in online to try and get the best seats for me to manage the trip. Checking in online is a great idea except that it rarely works for us - and it didn't this time: "Online check-in is not available for this passenger". Krista spent a considerable amount of time on the phone to the help line in the States to try and make online check-in "available". When she first called the help desk indicated the seats we wanted (bulk-head) were available but no, she couldn't assign us those seats or check us in. She would make some little change and then it would take 10 to 15 minutes to propagate the change through the system and then we'd be able to check in online. 20 minutes later we're still not able to check in online. Krista called back, was on the phone for about half an hour, and finally saw the "available" indicator by all four of us! Of course, by then the bulkhead seats weren't available. So for our first flight we're about 4 rows up from the back of the plane - which is at least convenient for me to get up and walk in the rear galley area. Our second flight we have bulkhead seats but our family is split to different sides of the plane.
I've resigned myself to enduring the flight since there's no real change in my condition and there's really no choice. I'll delay the powerful painkillers as long as possible to be of the most possible help to Krista. Right now I think the adrenaline of frantic last-minute packing, details, and arrangements for our absence is giving me a boost of energy and overcoming some of the pain. We'll see how I'm feeling once we're in the van on the way to the airport in about 3 and a half hours. That'll be the first time I've tried sitting down in this past week - the van seats don't recline.
It's amazing how many little things there are to do, to take care of, to put here or there, to tell people, to hand over, and so on! Krista has managed virtually all of the packing, cooking, cleaning, bath-times, and so on by herself this week in the hopes that I'll recover if I'm resting. Now I've rested but apparently not recovered. Please keep us in your prayers - Krista for chasing the kids and luggage, the boys for good sleep on the flights, and me for comfort. Thank you, our dear prayer-warriors. We rely on you far more than you know.
I've just returned from the Physiotherapist. Although I slept better last night in our guest bedroom with a firmer matress, no footboard, and tylenol, my condition today hasn't improved. Had we the time, my physiotherapist wouldn't be too concerned but with our long journey just 35 hours away she's looking for the best way to just get me home. With the assurance that I won't do permanent damage, she okayed me for the flight - it'll just be painful, possibly excrutiating. Unfortunately, injections at the nerve root (instant pain relief and indeed, available in Nairobi) are out because no doctor would give a shot this close to a flight because of the potential for bleeding.
Instead, I have a prescription for an opiate to take as necessary during the flights or layover to keep the pain at bay. The admonition was, "You'll feel much better but your wife will probably hate you because you won't be able to help her at all." Great. What kind of choice is that? I'm relieved that I'm not risking further or more serious injury by flying. And I feel like we have no choice but to make our flights and get home where recovery can continue and at least Krista can get some help with the kids.
On arrival in the States I'm to see an MD, be referred for an MRI, and be sent to an Orthopedic specialist before continuing physical therapy. It's possible, she says, that we actually have successfully reduced the bulge in the disc and that I am recovering but that the sciatic nerve is not calming down - this is apparently common and not reassuring in the slightest.
Tomorrow night we start a 30-hour journey. I can endure and I will survive - it's just pain. Please continue to pray for Krista who bears the greater burden.
Today is again the same as yesterday and the day before - no apparent progress. I continue to feel very little pain when I'm laying down but if I stand or walk for more than about 5 minutes, I feel the pain begin in the calf and hip. Laying down usually provides relief. This morning (Sunday morning) I'm feeling a little tingling numbness in my leg again like yesterday - perhaps from the long and restless night. My spirits are up but my recovery doesn't seem to be going anywhere. I'm committed to making the flight and getting home regardless of my condition and we're planning for my complete incapacitation navigating the journey. Please continue to pray for my healing and for Krista with all the burden that has been placed on her alone!
Today wasn't too much different than yesterday although it's the first day I haven't taken any pain medication. I'm feeling much better as you can tell from the video of me doing a set of McKenzie Extensions with Josiah (see next post). I walked around quite a bit more today although I still retreated to the couch periodically when my hip or calf started to hurt. No PT today - I'll see her on Monday one last time. Our journey seems a little less daunting as new opportunities to recover from the first leg of the trip have opened up for us during our long layover in London. And, thanks to Krista, we already have a physical therapy appointment in Seattle for the day after we land. "Do you have a referral?" "Well, here's the thing. We live overseas..."
I'm feeling better, walking more, not pushing it, and off pain meds. Those are all good things. But I haven't tried to sit down yet - sitting and driving are still not allowed by my physiotherapist. We might not know if I can sit for more than three minutes until we're on the plane.
With a sermon to write, a presentation to complete, and training materials to prepare, I'm frustrated that I can't sit at my desk. The anxiety about finishing all those things in time just amplifies everything else.
Today was my second day of physiotherapy. While the therapist wasn't happy with my progress, I thought things were going pretty well. By mid-morning today the burning pain had mostly eased in my calf except for occasional twinges and I was feeling pain mostly in my hip instead. The physiotherapist called it something like "consolidating" and said it was good. By this evening the pain isn't in the general hip area any more but has receded further back closer to the spine - I surmise that's good too. The muscles in my back that were in spasms have now calmed with a back brace, massage, and heat - that also means a decrease in pain.
The therapist added one more stretch to my other two to stretch the hip area. I'm still not allowed to sit or drive. Basically I can do anything that feels good and I shouldn't do anything that feels uncomfortable. Krista is insisting I don't do anything at all - I stay in bed or on the couch, I don't help with the kids, I don't help with meals, I don't help with bedtime. She says she can endure a few days without my help now if it means I can help get us home on Tuesday night. Overall, today is better than yesterday although I've been babying my back so much I haven't given it the opportunity to remind me of how much it could be hurting. Please keep praying for us.
We are in need of some prayer. One week from today we will be boarding an airplane to return home for our scheduled home service. Almost a week ago, Shauen's sciatic nerve began bothering him. The pain has been getting worse, he now has difficulty standing, walking and sitting. The only way he has relief is when he is lying down. He saw the Dr yesterday and will be seeing a physiotherapist tomorrow. Please pray for healing for him. He can only sit for 1-2 minutes at most before the pain becomes excruciating. As of right now, there is no way he can handle the plane ride home. Please keep him in your prayers, pray that the inflammation would go down and that the pain would become at least tolerable. -Krista
The following post is provided by Rev. Dr. Albert Collver III, LCMS Director for Church Relations, as found on his ABC3s of Miscellany Blog. The original is posted here.
Yesterday, we began the drive back from Moshi, Tanzania, to Arusha, Tanzania, back to Nairobi, Kenya. The scenery changed from the foot hills of Kilimanjaro, to the Mara / Serengeti which was very dry, to the hills of Nairobi.
In Arusha, Tanzania, we stopped at the Lutheran Centre, the headquarters of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania (ELCT), to pay our respects to the leadership there, and to inform them that the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the Lutheran Church of East Africa (LCEA) were in discussions with one another. Bishop Alex Malasusa was not in Arusha when we visited. In fact, he was headed to Moshi, from where we just came. In Moshi, we did have an opportunity to meet with Rev. Ambele Mwaipopo, who is in charge of Mission and Evangelism for the ELCT. Mwaipopo also is responsible for ecumenical dialogs. In Arusha, we met with Brighton Killewa, the Secretary General of the ELCT, pictured above with Dr. Albert Collver and Rev. Shauen Trump.
View along the highway between Tanzania and Kenya.
From the highway between Arusha and Nairobi, we saw a compound for Chinese road workers. For the past decade, China has been investing heavily in Africa, and building the infrastructure such as roads to make it easier to remove raw materials from Africa for shipment to China. Some Chinese men also see Africa as the solution to the shortage of marriageable women in China. The arrival of the Chinese in Africa has created a mixed response with Africans, tending toward the negative. When we asked Church leaders where Chinese people could be found, the answer given was “on their compound.” The people we spoke to indicated that the Chinese laborers typically had little to do with the Africans. The average term of service for a Chinese worker in Africa is between 18 and 24 months before returning home to China. We asked several African church leaders were regarding the possibility of evangelism outreach toward the Chinese. The responses varied but ranged from a giggle to sure anything is possible (if you can get on the compound). One church leader said that the Chinese in Africa, which are estimated to be between 750,000 and 1 million divided among several African nations, are not a primary focus right now. He said the real challenge is Islam.
Pictured above is a mosque on the highway between Nairobi, Kenya, and Arusha, Tanzania. Along one stretch of highway between Kenya and Tanzania, sometimes literally in the middle of no where, one can find a mosque. Many of these mosques are built along the highway on Maasai land. It is not clear if the mosques are even used. In some cases, we were told other than the guard, the mosque remains empty. However, the thought behind building mosques in these remote locations is that eventually they will serve people.
Back in Nairobi, Kenya, we met for lunch at the Karen Blixen Coffee Garden.Karen Blixen authored the book Out of Africa. It was quite a treat to visit this place made famous by the book and movie. For lunch, the Rev. John Halahke, General Secretary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Kenya, joined us.
After lunch, Dr. Albert Collver, LCMS Director of Church Relations, presented Rev. John Halahke, General Secretary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Kenya, with a Swahili Book of Concord. General Secretary Halahke said that he had heard about the Swahili Book of Concord but had not seen it until presented to him as a gift from the LCMS.
In the video above, Rev. John Halahke briefly speaks to the importance of the Swahili Book of Concord. The trip to Tanzania and Kenya was very good. We look forward to seeing the fruits of this trip.
- Posted on 18 August 2012 by Rev. Dr. Albert Collver, LCMS Director of Church Relations
The following post is provided by Rev. Dr. Albert Collver III, LCMS Director for Church Relations, as found on his ABC3s of Miscellany Blog. The original is posted here.
Some of you may be wondering how Lutherans came to Tanzania. Lutherans first arrived in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania in 1836, sent by the Leipzig Mission Society. Around the this time in the 19th century, European Churches typically did not send missionaries from the State church. As a result pious lay people and pastors formed mission societies to send "missionaries" to the jheathen. Bible Societies also formed during this period. In fact, the LCMS was built in part by the mission society efforts of Wilhelm Loehe. Article VI of the Missouri Synod's Constitution prohibits work with "heterodox tract and mission societies." The first and immediate context of this for Dr. C.F.W. Walther would have been mission societies like the Leipzig Mission Society.
The sign says "Jesus is the Victor." Other parts of Tanzania were settled by other mission societies -- from Scandinavia etc. The Leipzig Mission Society introduced a liturgy from the Leipzig Agenda, Which was based off the Saxon Agenda used by Walther. Thus the Tanzanian Lutherans around Kilimanjaro have a liturgy very similar to the Missouri Synod.
A Lutheran Church of East Africa congregation in the foothills of Kilimanjaro.
Sun setting against Mount Meru, from grounds of the Leipzig Mission Society in the foot hills (1 mile elevation) of Kilimanjaro.
The following post is provided by Rev. Dr. Albert Collver III, LCMS Director for Church Relations, as found on his ABC3s of Miscellany Blog. The original is posted here.
The following post is provided by Rev. Dr. Albert Collver III, LCMS Director for Church Relations, as found on his ABC3s of Miscellany Blog. The original is posted here.
Bishop Jesse Angowi of the Lutheran Church of East Africa (LCEA) requests closer ties to the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS) near Moshi, Tanzania. The Lutheran Church of East Africa was formed in the shadow of Kilimanjaro in 1999.
In the car ride between churches, a discussion of "Missouri" emerged. "Missouri" to a Swahili speaker sounds like "Mzuri" / "Nzuri" which means "good." Bishop Angowi said, "When we hear Missouri Synod, we hear 'good' church." He said the Missouri Synod is a good church because it holds the Bible and the Lutheran Confessions. He also said Missouri Synod is a good church because it does not support the liberal agenda other churches support.
Dr. Collver presents Bishop Angowi with the Book of Concord in Swahili.
Bishop Angowi distributes The Book of Concord to his pastors. The pastors noted that they had used a different version of the Book of Concord in Swahili before receiving their own copy recently published by Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Apparently, the Germans previously had translated it. The pastors were very pleased to receive a copy.
Later in the day, a gift was presented to President Harrison, "African Cake." Bishop Angowi said we needed to decide what to do with the gift. We could wrap it up and take it to President Harrison if we wished. After a brief consultation, we decided that TSA and US Customs would not allow us to return with a roasted goat, so we suggested that we all enjoy the "African Cake" together.
Bishop Angowi served Rev. Shauen Trump the "African Cake."
The women who prepared the food sent greetings to the women of the Missouri Synod.
As we traveled to different churches, we stopped at a mine, where volcanic rocks are quarried with machetes. At the mine, we discovered an orphanage for children.
The pastors of the Lutheran Church in East Africa prayed with the children. We also saw a turtle that was able to entertain the children. We asked if the turtle was food for the children. With a somewhat puzzled, then amused face, the pastor replied, "No. We do not eat turtle -- the Chinese do." Recently, many Chinese have entered Tanzania to build roads for Chinese companies to more easily export natural resources. The Chinese road crews live in Chinese camps and have little interaction with the Tanzanians. A positive contribution has been greatly improved roads. A negative is that none of this has created new jobs for Tanzanians, as the Chinese companies import all their workers from China. Because the Chinese live in self-contained camps, there has not been opportunity for the churches in Tanzania to evangelize the Chinese workers.
On the wall of the mine, a miner had carved in Swahili, "Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life."
At the mine a worker carries volcanic rock.
Bishop Angowi said without the mine for volcanic rock, his churches could not afford to build churches because cement blocks are too expensive.
The back of the church.
We also visited St Peter Theological Seminary. Today and tomorrow we visit parishes in the shadow of and on the slope of Kilimanjaro.
- Posted 15 August 2012 by Rev. Dr. Albert Collver.
The following post is provided by Rev. Dr. Albert Collver III, LCMS Director for Church Relations, as found on the LCMS Witness, Mercy, Life Together Blog. The original is posted here.
This evening we – Dr. Collver, Dr. Rodewald, Rev. Trump — had the opportunity to visit with Archbishop Obare at his home in Nairobi, Kenya. As a gift, we were able to present Archbishop Obare with a copy of Kitabu Cha Mwafaka, that is, the Book of Concord in Swahili.
Although Archbishop Obare was aware of the Book of Concord project in Swahili, this is the first time he had seen it. The Book of Concord was translated into Swahili by Lutheran Heritage Foundation. The ELCK’s seminary hopes to make use of the Swahili Book of Concord in the future.
The Augsburg Confession in Swahili.
- Posted by Rev. Dr. Albert Collver, LCMS Director of Church Relations on 12 August 2012.
The following post is provided by Rev. Dr. Albert Collver III, LCMS Director for Church Relations, as found on the LCMS Witness, Mercy, Life Together Blog. The original is posted here.
Last evening I arrived in Nairobi, Kenya, from Helsinki, Finland, via Amsterdam. This morning, the LCMS mission team that lives in East Africa gathered for worship at the Uhuru Highway Lutheran Cathedral of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK).
Although the Uhuru Highway Cathedral was dedicated in 2005, the congregation has been in this location since 1980.
The cathedral is on the campus of Luther Plaza, which serves as the headquarters of the ELCK and as office space for paying tenants.
Before the service, Archbishop Walter Obare met with Drs. Albert Collver and Mike Rodewald. Archbishop Obare stated that it was extremely important for the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS) to uphold the teachings of the Scriptures and to promote the Lutheran Confessions worldwide. He said the LCMS’ witness to the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions is particularly encouraging for churches like the ELCK.
Dr. Mike Rodewald, Rev. Fred Reinhardt, Dr. Collver talk about French speaking West Africa before the service. Although Rev. Fred Reinhardt lives within walking distance of the Uhuru Highway Cathedral, he primarily works in West Africa among French speakers.
Rev. Isaiah Obare is one of the pastors at Uhuru Highway Cathedral. He led the service. Dr. Collver preached on John 6:35-51, which is the Gospel reading for the 11th Sunday after Pentecost. Dr. Collver paraphrasing Martin Luther noted how strange it must been for the crowd to have seen Jesus say, “I am the bread from heaven,” when in his own poverty Jesus appeared to need hand outs for himself. It seemed impossible for Jesus to feed anyone — To be the bread from heaven — let alone to give them eternal life. Martin Luther said, “Jesus Himself speaks of His poverty in Matt. 8:20: ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.’ But in spite of this He can answer: ‘I am the bread,’ declaring here that He would teach, satisfy, feed, and preserve the entire world, prevent its death by starvation, and give it life. Though He Himself does not have a crust of bread to eat, He offers to become physician and helper to others.”
The choir sang during the service.
The service at the Uhuru Highway Cathedral followed Lutheran Service Book (LSB) for its International English Service.
After the service the LCMS missionaries who live in East Africa gathered for a group shot.
Rev. Shauen Trump with his children and wife Krista, Dr. Mike Rodewald (LCMS Africa Regional Director), Dr. Albert Collver (LCMS Director of Church Relations), Rev. Fred Reinhardt.
Rev. Shauen Trump is the facilitator for East Africa. The hospitality that both he and his wife have shown is outstanding. Tomorrow we travel to Tanzania.
- Rev. Dr. Albert Collver, LCMS Director of Church Relations, posted on 12 August 2012 in Nairobi, Kenya.
Comments and other material posted to this site reflect the personal opinions of individuals and may not necessarily reflect the beliefs and practices of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Material posted from sources other than The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod may appear on this site. Such appearances do not imply an endorsement of the theological, moral or ethical position of the source.
Thursday, September 20, 2012 at 6:07PM 
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)